Lauren

Can't decide between the two. Occidental Allegro Playacar or Reef Club Playacar. They are the same price. Anyone stay at either of these resorts?

hope

ttt/any input? Lauren did you go?

Lauren

No, we didnt go yet. I'm just trying to decide between the two. Looking up opinions, I'm leaning closer to the Reef Club.

hope

We booked the Reef Club (last-minute options); Any first hand experiences? I found a website that give opinions on destinations but I can't find it again. Reef Club seemed ok & the price was right. We leave 1-24 for 8 nights.

Lenleigh

Did you guys do a seach on here for it under Mexico? There has been a good amount of info on it lately.

curt

tripadvisor.com has good reviews of hotels. Google a search like "reef club playacar reviews" and one of the hits will be tripadvisor. It has more positive reviews than negative. Looks pretty good. We are considering this resort as well for spring visit. Please let us know what you thought when you return. When are you going?

Ally

I spent 4 nights at Reef Club in August 2001 and loved it. It's a smaller resort than most in the area, so not so far a walk to beach or restaurant. There are two pools, side by side. One for activities and one with a swim up bar. They were fine, although a bit crowded and not as large as most other pools in the area. We spent most of our time in the ocean anyway, with an occasional trip to the swim up bar for refreshment. <BR>This resort has a lovely jungle feel. While most resorts cut almost everything down and plant grass, Reef Club has kept their 'jungle feel', so you'll still have a nice view from any room. The Reel Club is the last resort in the long line of resorts in Playacar so the beach is not as crowded as most resort beaches, and it's the closest resort in Playacar to town. It's considered a 'moderate' resort and for the price, I loved it!<BR>FYI-When my sister and I checked in, we asked for a 'special room', while sliding a $20 over the desk. We were told, 'all our rooms are special', but they took the $20 and when we got to our room, we noticed they had given us one of the only ocean view rooms they have, with a private jacuzzi our patio! <BR>As for the food, it's fine. It's not as extensive as other resorts, as it's smaller, but plenty of choices to satisfy just about everyone but the most picky. Go. You'll have fun.

hope

Thanks for the encouraging words on Reef Club. Do they require special dress for dinner? (I hope not but don't want to be unpleasantly surprised). Did you snorkel? Is the water calm at the beach? Hope the weather is warm enough! Did you go on any excursions from the hotel?<BR><BR> We found the opinion page; and thanks again for your ideas.

Rich

I've been to Playa 3 times within the last 6 years and I would advise NOT staying at an all inclusive. If you stay at one you'll miss out on a lot of the little quaint restaurants in town and on the beach and miss out on the feel of Playa del Carmen. To find a small hotel go to www.turqreef.com or playadelcarmen.com

Rich

I've been to Playa 3 times within the last 6 years and I would advise NOT staying at an all inclusive. If you stay at one you'll miss out on a lot of the little quaint restaurants in town and on the beach. And, miss out on the feel of Playa del Carmen. To find a small hotel go to www.turqreef.com or playadelcarmen.com

sue

To Rich,<BR>Some people would rather to the all-inclusives by choice. They do not want to bother with leaving the resort and searching for a place. It is the convenience and the &quot;one&quot; price you pay that I presume most people want. I'm from Canada and I know that I definetly like the a/i and know what I have paid before I start my holiday. Also I don't think some people choose ai's for the food. Plus, if you enjoy a few drinks it would add up if you went out every night (and day).

bb

there are some of us who, in spite of staying at an a/i, still go into pdc for dinner and drinks, etc. and we always rent a car and travel down the coast looking for interesting places to have lunch and relax on different beaches. <BR><BR>

xxx

I agree. We always go AI. We find the price of an AI trip allows us to go out for dinner off the resort a couple of times during our week but we don't have to go out looking for something everynight - especially after a long day of exploring or snorkelling.

Ally

Lauren,<BR>There is not 'special dress' requirement for the buffet at the Reef Club. I'm not sure about the 'speciality' restaurant because we didn't eat there. We did go to town a couple nights. It's a nice change from the hotel.<BR>As for snorkling, we did very little in the area. There is a small reef about 5 minutes walk on the beach towards town, but it's not great. The better snorkling is going to be south of Playa, or, for the best, take the ferry over to Cozumel! <BR>Water in front of the Reef Club was very calm, only a little wave action getting in, but of course this will depend on the weather while you're there. The water tends to be calmer and clearer in the hot summer months of July-August, unless there is a hurricane nearby!<BR>We didn't take any excursions from the hotel, as it was the first vacation my twin sister and I had for just the two of us in many, many years and all we wanted to do was get a tan and spend relaxing time together!

Kirsten

Hi - I am a single 20 something and wonder if you felt Reef Club would be a comfortable place for someone to just CHILL OUT. Also, anyone stay there use their diving facilities? I am a novice and want to check out the beauty offered in the area. (with all that, AI is ideal for me)

lenleigh

We had a nice stay there although it was my second AI and I do admit that I have been disapointed with the food at both locations. The food at reef club was ok but did get monotonus and there were definitly things I didn't touch. Plus I love mexican food and craved it but they didn't have enough of it at the hotel. You can always go into town though. <BR><BR>For a 20 year old, it is definitly a little more of a family place but we went with my husbands family(brother-in-law was 21, sis-in-law 18 and my husband 22 and 25 at the time)and still had fun. The 18 &amp; 21 year old managed to find other kids to hang out with and the pool bar is open until 2am I think. Just don't expect Cancun. <BR><BR>Ally-Did your room overlook/near the pool with the swim up bar? Just curious. <BR><BR>I have pics and trip reports at the links below: <BR><BR>http://community.webshots.com/user/lenleigh<BR><BR>http://travel.concierge.com/run/myCo...HP?aid=1387948

Ally

Linleigh,<BR>Yes, we were lucky enough to get one of the only rooms overlooking the pool/ocean. I want to say it was room number 1034...but I'm not positive about that.